Auxiliary seats of the above-mentioned type may be provided in station wagons for use when the conventional seats of the vehicle are occupied and it is desirous to transport additional children or small adults. For reasons of safety, it is particularly important that the backrest of the auxiliary seat be securely locked in place during deployment of the seat. In accordance with U.S. safety regulations, locking must take place automatically when the seat is raised. When the auxiliary seat is to be stowed after use, it is preferable if the locking device can be released one-handedly.
Auxiliary seats are known which are stowed beneath the cargo bay floor and which, when erected, are self-supported by a series of levers. Such seats are locked in position by means of a locking pin immobilizing one of the otherwise pivotal joints between the levers. A problem with such a type of auxiliary seat is that the series of levers must be able to accommodate not only the weight of the occupant(s) of the seat, but also forces which arise during a collision. In addition, the series of levers can obstruct the free running of seat belts.
The present invention is directed towards a locking device which can suitably, though not exclusively, be used in conjunction with the backrest of an auxiliary seat, which backrest, in a raised position, abuts a conventional rear seat backrest. With such an auxiliary seat, because the conventional rear seat backrest supports the auxiliary seat backrest, the locking device need only be capable of withstanding forces which arise during a rear end collision.